The present invention relates in general, to a point of purchase container apparatus and, in particular, to a shelf-top point of purchase container apparatus that can be used for not only displaying articles on retail outlet shelves but also for the packaging, storage and transportation of the same articles during shipment to such retail outlets.
Containers convertible from storage and transporting articles towards acting as point of purchase display units have been used for many years. Such early containers were nothing more than a box with a removable and detachable lid, such as a conventional shoe box. If the articles in the container were to be displayed, the lid would be removed and then either attached to the bottom of the container or discarded.
While functional, such arrangements did not present the articles being displayed in the most effective "merchandising" fashion. These prior art display containers would normally lie flat, horizontally on the counter or shelf. One could not vertically stack the display containers or the articles contained in the lower display container would be hidden from view. Moreover, very often the covers for the containers would become lost or misplaced.
Other display containers have been developed in which the covers or lids are attached. During the transformation from storage and transportation to point of purchase display, the cover of such prior art container rolls back and underlies the lower displaying portion of the container. This arrangement allowed the lower displaying portion to be placed on an angle for a more pleasing presentation of the articles within the container. While providing a better display of the articles, these type of container apparatus could still not be restrainably stacked, either vertically or horizontally unless the view of the articles within the lower container was obscured. Likewise, attempts to stack often resulted in toppling, breakage or separation or displayed goods and the like.
It is thus an object of the present invention to create an inexpensive, easy to assemble point of purchase container apparatus that can be utilized not only for the display of articles but that can also be utilized in the packaging, storage and transportation of such articles.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a point of purchase container apparatus that may be stacked on a shelf, from the floor up or some other level surface--not only horizontally but also vertically in a substantially stable manner while permitting a substantially unobscured view of at least a portion of the articles within not only the top container but the lower stacked upon containers as well.
These and other objects of the invention will become apparent in light of present specification and drawings.